By Megha Anand
As we transition from Halloween to Christmas, road trips remain a common theme for films in both genres, particularly the former. Be it a journey to escape a zombie outbreak or a broken-down car in the middle of nowhere or running out of fuel with only one isolated gas station in the vicinity, roads seem to be a favoured setting for horror movies.
But with time and constant innovation, we may see a twist in horror movies as we may no longer run out of fuel as electric cars can now be charged by wireless charging roads. We might not end up lost in the wilderness as built-in routers will guide drivers about best routes to take to their destination, and lastly we won’t have to drive all alone on a cold and dark night as we have road-to-car and car-to-car communication technology.
There may be other scenarios not involving technology that still give us the creeps, but these advancements definitely help reduce the spook factor of road trips.
Let’s look at some of the trend-changing innovations that’s turning what lies beneath us to Smart Roads.
#1: Smart Charging Lanes / Roads
We may no longer have to worry about charging our electric vehicles as roads will be built with charging capability. Thus, vehicles would self-charge on the go by electric power generation.
US Patent 10479222 (the ‘222 patent) issued on 25 April 2019 by HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD protects one such wireless charging road. According to the ‘222 patent there are magnetic field generators beneath the road surface such that when a wireless charging vehicle cuts the magnetic force lines of these generators, it produces an electric potential that charges the vehicle’s rechargeable battery.
Did you know?? ElectReon Wireless, a leader in developing and implementing wireless charging for electric vehicles in motion is currently commissioning the world’s first wireless electric inter-city road system, charging an Electric Bus and an Electric Heavy-Duty Truck. The deployment will be a 1.6km long electric road, located between the airport and town center of Visby on Gotland Island, Sweden.
ElectReon is also partnering with German energy company EnBW on a wireless electric road system for e-bus shuttles in Germany. This wireless electric road system will power a bus line that connects the new EnBW training center in the Port of Karlsruhe on the Rhine to the local public transport system.
(Source: https://www.electreon.com/)
#2: Talking Roads
Imagine not having to worry about losing your way or the GPS connection being lost due to poor network connectivity. Also, not having to worry about a neighboring vehicle driving outside its lane. Cherry on the cake being the road you’re driving on providing a high-speed network for you to browse or stream online content on the go.
US Patent 10051061 (the ‘061 patent) issued on 14 August 2018 by Magna Electronics Inc protects one such application which facilitates road-to-car and also car-to-car communication systems in which communication devices are incorporated into or integrated in a powered road or strip along a roadway. The communication system beneath the road can communicate as well as receive information to/from vehicles traveling along the road. Amongst numerous interesting features, the ‘061 patent provides adjustment or alteration to the route of a vehicle in response to foreseeable traffic or weather conditions.
It may also monitor the behaviour of automated/semi-automated/manually driven vehicles and take necessary safety interventions in case of system malfunction or driver error (imagine – a road taking control of your vehicle to bring you to safety!!!). Also, the smart road can charge electric vehicles by using wireless charging systems or conductive tires.
#3: Self-Healing Concrete Roads
No more downtime or road closures for carrying out repair work for our roads. These new self-healing roads auto repair themselves and fill cracks.
International Application Number WO 2019076449 (the ‘449 application) published on 25 April 2019 by CEMEX RESEACH GROUP AG protects one such self-healing concrete mix. The self-healing concrete mix includes bacteria and/or bacteria spores, at least a calcium source and a carbon source, in order to enable a self-healing of microcracks or cracks that form in a hardened concrete.
The future is moving towards autonomous vehicles and hence smart roads or smart highways are going to be the need of the hour. They would not only eliminate vehicle-charging downtime but also police the driving route as well as the driving behavior of the vehicles to ensure that road safety, which is the prime concern with autonomous vehicles, is maintained. Not to mention improved conditions of the road with damages to the surface healing themselves. With all these innovations to look forward to, things are certainly looking promising for “what lies beneath” us in terms of safety and efficiency!
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